


The Way to Get Along

by Imagined



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 07:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15238443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imagined/pseuds/Imagined
Summary: Tony and Steve are forced to spend a day in a get-along shirt, to stop them from fighting all the time. At the end of the day, they're closer than they thought they would ever be.





	The Way to Get Along

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for [nasafic](http://www.nasafic.tumblr.com) on tumblr, who requested _stevetony + clothes sharing, if you're down for that ship - i know it's not your main so if you're not feeling it you totally don't have to, but congrats again!_ for my followers celebration on tumblr!

‘’No,’’ Tony says adamantly. ‘’I’m not doing that. You can kindly fuck off, because – no. It’s not happening.’’

‘’I think it’s a good idea,’’ Steve decides. Tony shoots him a dirty look. But once Steve decides something is happening, Tony has learnt, it’s usually happening. Anyway, Steve is way stronger than he is, so Tony doesn’t really have a say in this.

Clint grins, looking at them from the couch. He’s holding the shirt by its sleeves. It’s far too big a size for either Steve or Tony, but that’s because it’s not meant to be worn by a single person. That’s the entire problem here.

‘’If you didn’t behave as badly, we wouldn’t have to put you in a get-along shirt,’’ Natasha points out, taking the shirt from Clint and handing it to Steve. ‘’Even Cap sees that you would benefit from this, Stark. It’s really easier to just roll with it.’’ 

‘’Nothing about this is easy,’’ Tony shoots back. ‘’You want me to spend time with Cap. In a shirt. For the whole day. I have things to do, Nat, weapons to upgrade for all of you, and you want me to –‘’

‘’Get along with Cap to improve the team dynamics?’’ Natasha concludes for Tony, which isn’t fair, he would’ve finished that sentence in a whole different way. ‘’Yes, that’s exactly what I want. You spend so much time bickering, and it’s getting old. Get over it. At least Steve is trying to make this work.’’

Steve nods earnestly, and Tony wants to punch him. Perfect little cooperative Steve, of course he’s doing what his teammates want him to do. Tony has noticed the weary looks his teammates send each other every time he gets into an argument with Rogers, so he knows he doesn’t have any allies in this fight. Tony sighs, and lets Natasha put him into the shirt. It’s an ugly green colour, and ‘Steve and Tony’s Get-Along T-Shirt’ is written on it in capital letters, courtesy of Clint.

‘’Fine,’’ Tony says. Steve, also in the shirt, is standing closer to him than he’s ever been. Their height difference makes wearing the shirt a bit awkward, but damn it if Tony won’t wear this thing with pride. He’s going to show them all that he’s capable of doing this. He will survive the day with Steve, wearing this hideous shirt, and after that, all of them will go back to not bothering him until the next intervention.

Clint and Natasha are grinning broadly, and Tony puts his hands in his thighs. It results in one of his elbows hitting Steve, but the supersoldier doesn’t move a bit. He just looks a bit awkwardly at Tony, but Tony doesn’t respond to the look. ‘’So, what do you want to do?’’ Steve says.

‘’I don’t know about you,’’ Tony says, ‘’but I’m going to the lab.’’

‘’Are you?’’ Steve says, amused. Tony tries to walk. It’s not really happening, and he glares at Steve.

‘’If the entire goal of this is to make us get along, it’s really not working so far,’’ Tony says. Steve’s smile drops a bit, but he shrugs minutely.

‘’I’m fine with going to the lab, but we’re not going to spend the entire day in there,’’ Steve warns Tony.

Tony rolls his eyes, and starts walking. It’s much easier, now Steve is cooperating.

~*~

‘’Tony. Tony. _Tony_.’’

‘’Stop yelling,’’ Tony says. He’s almost forgotten that Steve is there – almost, but not completely. It’s hard to miss the heat of where Steve’s body presses into his. He’s gotten good at ignoring it in favour of the gauntlet he’s upgrading, though, and Steve makes a somewhat decent help by giving him some tools he can’t quite reach. He only has one arm, after all, because the other one is stuck in the shirt.

‘’It’s been three hours,’’ Steve says. ‘’I’m starving. We’re going upstairs to eat.’’

‘’I can’t,’’ Tony says, still half-absent. ‘’I need to –‘’

‘’You need to eat,’’ Steve says, and starts walking. Tony has to walk along or risk being dragged along on the floor. He’s not sure if the latter isn’t the better option, though, he reflects bitterly as Steve steadily walks towards the stairs.

Steve goes to make them sandwiches, and Tony cleans his oil-stained hands on the ugly shirt. If he can’t take it off, then he can sully it, at least. He’s getting food out of this, though, and as he hears his stomach rumble, that may not be the worst thing ever.

‘’Here,’’ Steve says, handing him the plate. ‘’No wonder you’re so easy to drag along. You weigh nothing.’’

‘’I resent that,’’ Tony answers with a mouth full of sandwich. He chews on it thoughtfully. ‘’Hey, since when can you cook?’’

‘’It’s hardly cooking, it’s putting together bread with something on it,’’ Steve says with a snort. ‘’Who do you think has been leaving those sandwiches for you, in your workshop?’’

‘’That’s you?’’ Tony asks, taking another bite. ‘’I figured it was one of Pepper’s schemes. Look, I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I’ve survived a long time without people feeding me.’’

‘’I just wanted to do something nice for you,’’ Steve says earnestly, and Tony raises his eyebrows. ‘’You’ve been taking care of all of us, and all I can seem to do is yell at you because you don’t do the same for yourself. And I don’t mean to yell.’’

Tony eats the last bite of his sandwich, and doesn’t look Steve in the eye. The whole thing seems even more ridiculous than earlier, now; Tony usually runs away, when people start to talk about stuff like this. If he wants to show the team that he can do it, he still has the majority of the day to survive in this shirt. Running away is hardly an option.

‘’Me neither, Cap,’’ he just says.

Steve smiles. It’s a lovely thing to see, up close, and Tony wonders how much further he’d have to lean in to kiss it. The thought surprises him, and he shuts it down quickly. Steve is nothing more than an annoying team mate, a nice guy who only is trying to pay back Tony. Which, of course, isn’t something that Steve has to do, because Tony likes having the Avengers here.

‘’Let’s go watch some television,’’ Steve suggest. ‘’I’m just getting a headache from watching you work, and I’m sure you still know some movies I need to see.’’

‘’Well, we do seem to have the time for that Lord of the Rings marathon,’’ Tony says thoughtfully.

Steve tilts his head. ‘’Isn’t Natasha going to kill us for watching it without her?’’ he asks. Natasha is a notoriously big fan of the movies.

‘’The way I see it, she owes us,’’ Tony says. ‘’She’s the one who came up with this idea.’’ He gestures to the get-along shirt with the one hand that isn’t in the shirt.

‘’Let’s go for it,’’ Steve agrees.

~*~

Steve falls asleep during the third movie. Tony knows he’s going to be upset about this, because he immensely enjoyed the first two. Steve’s head is lying against Tony’s shoulder, his hair just prickling Tony’s neck. Tony rests against it as he watches the movie play. The empty pizza cartons are still standing before them, but at least he has an excuse to leave them there for now. He doesn’t want to pull away from Steve, even if he could.

He doesn’t want the excuse of wearing the get-along shirt to do this more often with Steve, but at least he gets to use it.

He’s paying more attention to Steve than to the movie, though, and the way Steve softly inhales and the way his eyelashes flutter.

Tony wonders why it took him so long to identify his dislike as the crush it actually is, but maybe it’s not such a weird thing, in hindsight. He’s always had a tendency to push away the people he cared about the most, and that’s something that has never left him. Captain America has always meant a lot to him; Steve Rogers has the potential to be even more.

~*~

He wakes up because of a soft voice, and when he opens his eyes, Steve is hanging above him, still wearing the stupid shirt. ‘’Are you awake?’’ Steve whispers. Even in the dark, his eyes are freakishly blue.

‘’Yes,’’ Tony whispers back. ‘’Why are we whispering?’’

‘’I don’t know,’’ Steve says back, smiling. ‘’I like it.’’

He’s so close, and Tony kisses him on instinct. It’s the most natural thing he’s ever done, and Steve’s hand finds its way into Tony’s curls, pushing him closer.

‘’I think the shirt worked,’’ Tony says, as they pull apart.

Steve laughs out loud. ‘’I think we can lose the shirt,’’ he says. ‘’And maybe some other clothes, as well.’’

Tony grins.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr as [tonystarrks](http://www.tonystarrks.tumblr.com).


End file.
